Gold-separator



(No Model.)

H. E. HENWOOD.

GOLD SEPARATOR.

I Patented Feb. 28,1882.

iii

INVENTOR WITNESSES WWW/7 ATTORNEYS.

'UNTT STATES PATENT ()rmce.

HORACE E. HENWOOD, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

GOLD-SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,315, dated February 28, 1882.

Application filed November 10, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, HORACE E. HENWOOD, of Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gold-Separators, of

which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with the cover removed and parts broken away.

The object of this invention is to improve the construction of the gold-separators for which Letters Patent were granted, August 2, 1881, No. 245,165, H. E. Henwood, inventor, in such a manner as to make them more effective. in operation.

The invention consists in the rotary shell of a gold-separator made with annular offsets upon its inner'surface, whereby the support of the mercury upon the inner surface of the shellwill be facilitated; also, in the combination,

with the base-flange of the shell, of a movable provided with weighted arms, whereby the" said rim is lowered automatically as the mercury passes up the inner surface of the said shell to allow the sand to escape freely also, in the combinatiomwith the frame, and the driveshaft provided with a pulley and carrying the distributer on its upper end, of the spider carrying the shell and pulley, having up wardl y-projecting hub, which is attached to the hub of the spider; also, in the combination, with the shell having offsets, of a fan-blower having its discharge-spout projecting into the said shell in adownwardly-inclined direction also,in the combination, with the rotary shell and the rim, of a discharge-plate, whereby the sand escaping from the said shell over the said rim will be discharged from the machine; and, also, in the distributing-plate, made conical in form up and down.

and provided with radial corrugations or channels, whereby a more even distribution of the sand from the said plate is obtained, as will be hereinafter fully described.

A represents the base-frame or table of the machine, to which is attached, or upon which is formed,/a bearing, B, to receive a vertical shaft, 0. To the shaft 0 is attached a pulley, D, to receive a hand for revolving the said shaft. Upon the shaft 0, above the pulley D, is placed a pulley, E, the hub of which projects upward and revolves in bearings B in the upper part of the frame A.

To the upper end of the hub of the pulley E is attached the hub of a spider, F, the radial arms of which areinclined or curved upward and have their outer ends bent into a vertical position. i

To the upper ends of the arms of the spider F is attached the inwardly-projecting flange G, formed upon the lower edge of the shell or vessel H, which is made slightly daring and with a series of annular offsets or steps, I,'as shown in Fig. 1. Around the upper edge of the shell or vessel H is formed a narrow inwardly-projecting flange, J. Against the inner edge of the base-flange G of the shell H is fitted a rim, K, with such exactness that mercury cannot escape through the joint between the said edge and rim. To the inner side of the rim K are attached the upper ends of as many short vertical bars L as there are arms to the spider F.

Upon the outer sides of the barsL are formed teeth, into which mesh the teeth of small gearwheels M, pivoted to the arms of the spider F and to the keepers N, attached to the said arms, to serve as guides to the bars L as they move To the gear-wheels M are rigidly attached, or upon them are formed, short arms 0, to the outer ends of which are attached, or upon them are formed, balls P or other weights.

To the upper end of the shaft 0 in the upper part of the shell H isattached the center ofa plate, Q, which inclines downward slightly from its center toward its circumference, or is made slightly conical. In the upper side of the plate Q are formed radial grooves to cause the said plate to distribute the sand more evenly.

Above the top of the'shell H is placed a cover, It, which is attached to posts S or other supports at a little distance from the shell H. In the center of the cover R is formed an aperture to receive the hopper T, through which the sand is introduced into the separator. In a side part of the cover It is formed an aperture to receive the discharge spout of a fan-' blower, U, which is supported in such a position as to direct the blast of air against the inner surface of the shell H in a laterally and downwardly inclined direction, so as to blow off any fine sand that may adhere to the surface of the mercury upon the inner surface of the shell H.

To the hub of the spider F, or to the hub of the pulley E, is a tached the center of a conical plate or apron, V, to receive the sand and discharge it outside the machine.

The shell H, distributer Q, and fan-blower U can be driven from a steam-engine or other convenient power, and the shell H and distributer Q can be revolved in the same direc tion or in opposite directions, and at the same speed or at different speeds, as may be required.

In using the separator mercury is placed in the ring trough formed by the flange G, the shell H, and the rim K, and as the shell H is revolved the said mercury is driven up the in ner surface of the said shell by centrifugal force, the ascent of the mercury being facilitated by the offsets of the shell H, and the said mercury being supported by centrifugal t'orce,the flare of the said sh'ell,and the offsets or steps I. As the sand falls upon the conical grooved plate Q it is evenly distributed by the centrifugal force engendered by the revolution of the plate Q against the coating of mercury spread over the inner surface of the shell H, and all the particles of gold in the said sand will be taken up or amalgamated by the mercury,while the sand slides down the inner surface of the shell H and over the upper edge of the rim K. As the sand falls from the rim K it is received upon the conical discharge-plate V, and is thrown out of the machine by the centrifugal force engendered by the revolution of the said plate. As the shell H revolves the weights P are thrown outward by centrifugalforce, which outward movement of the said weights 1? draws the rim K downward, so that the said rim will be lowered as the mercury is driven up the sides of the shell H, to allow the sand to pass freely over the upper edge of the said rim K, the bars L and the gear-wheels M being so arranged that the upper edge of the rim K can never be drawn below the level of the flange G. By this construction every particle of gold will be withdrawn from the sand and held by the mercury, while the sand is discharged freely from the machine.

' The mercury can be withdrawn, when desired, through a discharge-spout, W, in the flange G. v

I am aware thatarevolving conical distributerplate is not broadly new; and I am also aware that the vessel and distributer-plate have been driven separately; and I am further aware that a fan-blower has been used in con nection with an amalgamator, and I therefore do not claim such; but

WVhat I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gold separator, therot'ary shell H, having offsets I,snbstant-ially as herein shown and described, whereby the support of the mercuryupon the inner surface of the shell will be facilitated, as set forth.

2. In a gold-separator, the c0mbination,with the base-flange G of the shell H, of the movable rim K and means, substantially as herein shown and described, for raising and lowering the same, whereby the height of the said rim will be graduated to the amount of mercur upon the flange G, as set forth.

3. In agold-separator, the combinati0n,with the base-flange G of the shell H, of the rim K, the toothed bars L, and the gear-wheels M, having weighted arms 0 P, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the said rim is lowered automatically as the mercury passes up the inner surface of the said shell to allow the sand to escape freely, as set forth.

4. In a gold-separator, the combination, with the frame A, the shaft 0, providedwith the pulley D and carrying the distributer Q on its upper end, of the spider F, carrying the shell H, and the pulley E, having an upwardly-projecting hub, which is attached to the hub ofthe said spider, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a gold-separator, the combination, with the shell H having offsets I, of the fan-blower U, having its discharge-spout projecting into the said shell in a downwardly-inclined direction, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a gold-separator, the combination, with the rotary shell Hand the rim K, of the rotary discharge-plate V, below the said shell, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the sand escaping from the said shell over the said rim will be discharged from the machine, as set forth.

7. In a gold-separator, the distributing-plate Q, made conical in form and provided with radial corrugations or channels on its convex surface, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby a more even distribution of the sand from the said plate is obtained,as set forth.

HORACE E. HENWOOD.

Witnesses:

JAMES T. GRAHAM, O. SEDGWIGK. 

